Interrupted Drinking Game
by animefan021513
Summary: Arthur, Gwaine, and Merlin are all at the tavern after a long hunt and Gwaine decided that Merlin should play a game with him...but before it starts it gets interrupted and Merlin gets hurt. What will Arthur and Gwaine find out about Merlin? Read and find out :)


I was sitting at a table and calmly drinking my own ale when I heard Gwaine start in on Merlin...again. "Alright, Merlin my old friend...For every time you get a coin in a tankard of ale...you can get out of one of your chores tomorrow. Sound fair Arthur?"

I smile in amusement because Merlin is the clumsiest person I know. "Sure, but for every time he misses he has to down the whole tankard. You have three chances as there are three tankards."

"Alright, Merlin...the left one is mucking out horses, the middle is polishing Arthur's armor and sword...they're kind of a package deal, and the one on the right is cleaning his room. Good luck my friend."

"Wait, but I don't want to...Gwaine!"

"Oh C'mon you never come to the tavern. Hell, the owner in Camelot's fair city has never seen you or your rugged good looks and you know she would love to."

"Fine...ONE game. what are the rules?"

"Yes, lets start with rule one, and that's just for you Merlin, Arthur...my grand King you trust me?"

"Very well, you two keep your secrets." I watch Gwaine smile and whisper something in Merlin's hear. It must've been quite a shock to him though, because he instantly went wide eyed and whipped his head back to Gwaine. "Remember, don't say anything." Then I see Merlin quickly nod with a small smile. "Alright, rule number two you have to stand in between Arthur and I as you make your shot. I've been in this tavern before...they won't say anything aboit drinking games."

Before Merlin tosses the coin, I realize that Gwaine had said Merlin had never been to the tavern in Camelot... "Gwaine...what do you mean Merlin has never been to the tavern? When he's gone that's where Gaius mostly says he is, and if he's not there he's out picking at the ground for herbs...so what do you mean he..."

"I mean he's never been." He interrupts me with a somewhat confused expression. "I introduced him to the owner just last week and she said she would love to have Merlin as a guest anytime, winked, and walked off. She remembers _everyone_. Even those who are only here for a day or the yearly tournaments. She's never seen Merlin before that day."

"This is new information to me." I can see Merlin grow increasingly pale the more Gwaine talked. "Merlin...do you mind..." Before I can finish the sentence I hear screaming behind me.

I turn around and see two brutes stealing from a couple of woman and they had their weapons drawn. "Look, we couldn't find ya at home, so we came lookin' for ya in your favorite place to hang out. Now give us what we're owed pretty girls or we will take it...by not so friendly means."

I draw my sword and point it at them. "Release them. They don't owe you anything."

"And why should we listen to you pretty boy?"

"Because I'm King Arthur, and if you don't release her you will be arrested immediately. Now, my friends and I came out here after a long day's hunt and you're highly more irritating than the boar, so just walk away and you'll be unharmed."

I watch as they release the woman and smile at each other. "A king huh? And not just any King...Well, wont you fetch a hefty price from your Queen."

Before I could say anything I saw a cup go flying over my head and hit the man who hasn't spoken yet. I turn around and Gwaine is still standing with his arm reaching in their direction. "Erm...that...didn't go as planned."

"You had a plan!?" I hear Merlin shout.

The next thing I hear is the bar turning into chaos and after that I feel Merlin's hold on my arm. "This way, Arthur!" I quickly yanked on him and pulled him to follow me. _'Like Hell am I going to allow my servant to try and lead me to safety!'_ Once we made it out and back to the camp I heard Merlin grunting and I could hear him limping behind us.

"Merlin, what happened?" Gwaine asked as he helped me sit Merlin down.

"Back...and...arm. They threw...a dagger...the one in my back...is...stuck." The contorted look as he explained made me feel sick. He was showing signs of difficulty breathing as he was talking. _'If only I had followed him...no...then Merlin's bleeding heart would've gotten the better of him...but still.'_ Without needing to say anything, Gwaine went to get the medical supplies Merlin had brought with him which always included stitches, thread, cleansing liquid, bandages, and in the other side it carried herbs and healing salves.

While he was doing that I got behind Merlin and noticed how deep the blade was in his back. _'It hasn't struck his spine, so that's good...but how is he still awake? Even a knight would pass out from a wound that deep.'_ "Merlin...I have to pull the dagger out and it's going to hurt."

"Oh, no...I thought...it would feel like...sunshine...and cuddles." He tries to laugh after he talked but it only caused him more pain. I laughed a little though.

"Only you can make jokes about intense pain, Merlin." I calmly say as I place my hand on the hilt of the dagger.

"AH! OW ow ow...um...not...true...I learned...from the best. Even a prat like you...makes fun of being in pain."

"You ready?" I ask as I try to ignore him.

"Just do it."

I yank it out and quickly place a nearby cloth and press it hard against the wound. "Merlin lay on your stomach." He does so with difficulty but once I see his belly fully on the ground I also see a little sigh of relief escape his lips as they shake a few leaves away from him. "Oh, good. Give me that Gwaine. What took you so long?"

"I had to get certain things. i had to do this a lot on my own before remember?"

"Alright...just...can you tend to him?"

"Of course...but his shirt is going to have to be off."

"It's a good thing his arm isn't as bad as his back then..." We both struggle to gently take Merlin's shirt off but once it's off we both stare at his back in disbelief and he shudders in what seems to be shame. "Merlin..." I try to talk without my voice betraying me, but it wasn't possible. "...what are all of these scars from?"

"Heal first...questions later...I promsie."

"Right..."

Gwaine begins to dress his wounds and I continue to look at Merlin's back. There were scars made from arrows, daggers, swords, maces, and on his tail bone there was a singular whip mark but the one that stood out above all else...was finally revealed when Gwaine cleared off the blood from his back. It was a serket sting. _'No one survives from that. Merlin...what happened to you!'_ I can't stand to see him like this. In so much pain and with me harboring so many questions, so I look away until Gwaine is done and I make sure the fire stays lit.

"Arthur, you can look now." Gwaine says as I hear him slowly raise Merlin up into a sitting position against a log.

I turn to look at Merlin and there's more scars. More daggers, more arrows, and there is even a burn mark. Then he remembers something Merlin had said to him once.

 _"Do you realize how many times I've saved your royal backside?"_

 _'Oh God...I thought he was joking.'_ "Um...Merlin..."

Gwaine lifted up his hand at me sympathetically and looked to Merlin. "Merlin, how did you get your scars?"

"A lot of them are from...clumsiness and training. Gaius says...that the clumsy ones...are easily mistaken for aarrow wounds...I promise, Arthur, I was never shot with an arrow...at least, not that i remember. I was however...whipped once at one of your father's...tournaments. Two large men were...ordering me around and one of the competitors...saw them hit me with a whip and...stopped them."

I still can't speak. My insides are twisting and my head won't stop spinning. _'Here's Merlin...covered in God knows how many scars...and he's acting as if we asked him what herb he was picking today. How could I not have known...'_

"Merlin...Arthur and I...We've seen our fair share of scars and we believe you on what you said...but neither clumsiness, training, or whips caused the serket sting on your back and the burn on your chest, my friend. You're going to have to tell us, mate."

 _'I didn't think he could get any smaller'_ I watched as he shrunk into himself and looked at me with an almost paralyzing fear, hidden behind apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry but I can't..."

"Merlin, I have to know. Not as a King, or someone with an army of knights, but as your best friend...I have to know...how did you get them?"

He looked away from both of us in the same look of shame and fear from before. "I...can't."

"Dammit Merlin, what is it? It's not like you have Magic!" I shout with tears threatening to fall the longer I look at his scars and he flinched, which never happened before. He's heard me shout and belittle him to no end..."Merlin...you..."

"Yes, Arthur?" He looked at me with absolute resignation in his eyes. He looked so small, so vulnerable, so helpless, and just...not Merlin. Here is the man who rattle off his scars like they were nothing...but when I mentioned magic... _'This isn't Merlin. Merlin is brave servant and loyal friend not just to me but to Camelot...There's no way...'_

"Merlin...you have Magic?"

He sighs deeply and hunches forward. "I was born with it."

"T-Thats impossible you'd have to be incredibly..." I started.

"Powerful? Yes, I am...I am the most powerful sorcerer and warlock...to ever walk the earth...To the druids, my name is Emrys and there is a prophecy about you and I, Arthur."

"A prophecy? about us? What is it?"

"I will only promise if you..."

 _'He couldn't possibly think...'_ "Merlin! I'm not going to kill you!"

"You're not?" The relief in his eyes was almost instant and so was the sickening feeling I felt in my heart and the hurt that twisted into knots throughout my entire body.

"No...I..." I can no longer talk, and for once I'm grateful for Gwiane stepping in.

"Merlin, he's your best friend and you've been by his side for a very long time. I don't think...unless you gave him a reason...I don't think he would ever execute you. Can't you see how much it's killing him that you thought that in the first place?"

"It's not...killing me..." I say trying to hold onto whatever pride I have left.

"Oh can it, Princess. You're a few more words shy of a blubbering mess. I know you hate vulnerability and I can't blame you for that, but the two of you are like brothers! So, naturally the thought of your brother thinking you would kill them after knowing each other for so long...I can understand that pain a little." he looks at me and despite the fact I would never usually be this vulnerable...Merlin thought I would kill him and Gwaine's right...that hurts like hell. Not the fact he has magic, but the fact he already resigned himself to a sentence and asked me to spare him for more information about his scars and magic. "Alright, with that settled...Merlin, tell us more about your magic...can you show us?"

My eyes grew wide as a smile appeared on Merlin that I had never seen before. A smile of relief, content, joy, and childlike wonder all in one. He took a stick from the fire and held it up close to him and he spoke in a language I don't recognize and before I knew it the embers came dancing off of the stick and formed a dragon flying elegantly around the camp fire, before disappearing back into the fire below. "Wow." was all my Kingly grace could come up with.

"Thank you, Arthur. Alright, I...guess I should tell you...the scar on my back...It WAS a serket..." I can still hear the amount of pain he's in as he speaks, but i dont say anything because I want to know why, even after I became king, did he not tell me. "...it DID sting me...badly...but I called..." He looked over at me to seemingly gauge my reaction. "...I called the great dragon...His name is Kilgharrah and he's been there for me since I first arrived. I called him...and he saved me. As for the burn on my chest...That...was Nimueh. Arthur, when you were bitten by the questing beast it really was a fatal bite...I went to her to bargain my life for yours...she didn't respect it and started killing my mother instead...then Gaius tried to trade and she hit me with a fireball...she asked me to join her and I refused...I also...I struck her down with lightning..."

"Gwaine..." I start to ask as I briefly remember the look of shock on Merlin's face back at the tavern.

"Yes, Arthur?"

"You don't seem nearly as shocked as I am...is that what you whispered at him back at the tavern? To not use magic?"

"Caught and found out." I could see the guilty yet amused look on his face. "Before you ask how long I've known...it was since we helped you on that damn quest of yours with the really short guy. When Merlin got there I could hear him say something like magic has arrived and then I show up and he calls me strength. I'm a drunkard, not an idiot. Not only that but all of the close calls and battles where Merlin has gone missing for a short while...they start to add up."

"Wow...and I thought he was crazy. So, you're powerful, you're the last dragon lord, and you have stayed a servant this whole time...never using magic against me. Why?"

"Why which part?"

"Why have you stayed a servant, never sought credit, and never attacked me? God knows you have the power to do so."

"Because you're my friend. You've always been my friend, why would I want to hurt you? Yeah, I'd get mad sometimes, but never enough to want to harm you. Plus, thanks to you i learned how to effectively dodge cups, plates, forks and one time, on accident...a knife." As he explained what he dodged he pointed at the scars on his shoulders and arms, and he almost seemed amused by it. "Also, I don't do it for credit. I do it for who you are, Arthur. I also do it because you're my friend and I don't want to lose you."

I looked at Gwaine who was smiling, somewhat proud at Merlin's answer and I know it will be a long road...but perhaps with Merlin's help... "Merlin, help me put an end to Morgana and bring Magic back to Camelot."

"Wait, seriously...you've decided that quickly?"

"Merlin, you killed a high priestess...you're likely our only hope at defeating Morgana and since you've proven yourself to be good and just with your magic I have to believe others will too, if given the chance."

I see the wide smile on Merlin's face and the tears that fall into his lap. "Thabk you, Arthur. You have no idea how much that means to me _."_

 _'It's not much, but it's a start.'_


End file.
